Shiloh Shepherd Dog Names

Since the Shiloh Shepherd is not recognized by the major kennel clubs, you will rarely see one presented at conformation shows, although they are becoming more common in performance events. Most people who encounter a Shiloh Shepherd simply think it is an overly large long-haired German Shepherd Dog. Therefore, seeing a Shiloh Shepherd make headlines is a bit of an anomaly. Gandalf the Shiloh Shepherd made news on March 21, 2007 when he was part of a search and rescue team that located a lost 12 year old Boy Scout. The boy had become lost in the rugged North Carolina Mountains and remained lost for four days. His Boy Scout troop was camping in the mountains and this boy had wandered too far from the campsite.  Gandalf and his trainer, Misha Marshall began to search the fourth day after the boy had gone missing about a mile from the Boy Scout troop’s campsite and he picked up the scent of the boy. Gandalf signaled to Marshall that he had picked up the scent by popping his head up and down three times. They followed a stream and found the boy huddled, trying to stay warm. At the time of the rescue, Gandalf was just two years old and had only recently finished his search and rescue training.

The use of dogs in the world of search and rescue has proved successful because of a dog’s keen sense of smell, sensitive hearing, and endurance. They can smell and hear things that most humans cannot. Search and rescue dogs have helped locate thousands of lost people and pets. However, each dog must go through intensive training before they can be allowed out in the field. A certified search and rescue dog will have to train for months, and sometimes even years, before they are able to be used on search and rescue missions. Not all dogs are equipped to be search and rescue and generally, Shiloh Shepherds are not the go to dog for such a job. However, their intelligence and willingness to please will have them trying anything their trainer asks of them. Gandalf was able to locate the lost Boy Scout when human searchers and planes failed to find him. It has been estimated that search and rescue dogs can be as effective and cover as much ground as 20 to 30 human searchers. Gandalf worked ahead of his trainer through the brush and once he located the boy, he returned to his trainer and give the signal that he had found what everyone was searching for and led his trainer and other rescuers back to the boy.